CDU leader says flight tax could help climate push

Bloomberg

The head of Germany’s ruling Christian Democrats suggested a levy on flights could be introduced to encourage travellers to use less polluting means of transport and help tackle climate change.
Rail travel must be made cheaper, possibly by cutting sales tax on train tickets, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU party, said in an interview with ARD television.
Kramp-Karrenbauer said action could be taken to stop airlines from charging fares that didn’t reflect government levies, referring to the industry’s rates as “price dumping.”
A levy on flights would be “one way” to address the trend of extremely cheap tickets, she added.
Airline bosses have sought to defend their business against a rising tide of criticism over aircraft emissions.